Hood catch



Jan. 20, 1931-. MOORE 1,789,828

HOOD CATCH nal Filed June 17, 1926 2 SheetsSheet 1 IN V EN TOR. RHYMUNDE1. Mama ATTORNEY Jam-20, 1931. R. G. MOORE 1,789,828

noon CATCH Original iled June 17, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 20, 1931 UNITED .srA'rss PATENT OFFICE RAYMOND G. MOORE,or imrnenromu, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE. BassicKooi/r PANY, orBRIDGEPORT, CONNE TI UT, A couronerroiv or CONNECTICUT noon CationOriginal application filed June 17. 1926, Serial No; 116,530. Dividedand this application filed August 8,

1928. Serial No. '298,290.

I The present invention relates to automobile hood catches, particularlyof the type adapted to exert both a downward and an inward pressure onthe hood, for the purpose I of securely holding it in closed positionwithout looseness and rattling, the present application being adivisional application of my former application filed on the 17th day oiJune, 1926, Serial No. 116,530.

Another object is to provide a catch structure in which the usual springactuated hood catch or hook element acts downwardly to hold the hooddownwardly against the-frame of the automobile and in which ineansacting' between the keeper and thehood catch barrel exerts a lateralpressure between the hood and barrel to press the hood inwardly.

A further object is to provide a catch including movable means carriedby the keeper,

adapted to produce, through the single directional force ofthespring'actuated hook, a plurality of pressure components adapted toact upon the hood to force it downwardly and inwardly.

Vith the above and other objects in view, embodiments of the inventionare'shown in the accompanying drawings, and these embodiments will behereinafter more "fully described with reference thereto, and'theinvenvention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. l-is a perspective view of the'l'iood catch keeperaccording to one embodimentof the invention; Y i

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing thesame with the hood catch hookelement in operative engagement therewith; 1 p,

F 3 is a perspective view ofanother modified form of keeper;

Fig.4 is aside elevationshowingithe same with thehood catch hook elementin operative engagement therewith; 1

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of modified dorm of keeper; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing thesame withthe hood catch hookelement inoperative engagement therewith;

Similar reference characters indicate cor- 45 a further responding partsthroughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the hoodcatch hook element consists of acylindrical barrel 20 flanged at its lower end, as 21, to provide areduced passage in whicha rod; 22 is slidably engaged, the end ofthe rodwithin thebarrel being provided witha head 23, be-

tweenwhich and the flange 21 spring 24 is coiled about the rod.

Tl e upper end of thebarrelisthreaded, as at 25, and is screwed intothe; threaded socket 260i a cap member- 27, which closes the upper endoi the barrel and forms astop to limit the upward movement of'the rod 22l A clampunder the pressure of th'e'spring. ing hook 28 and a handle 29-'are" formed integrally with'the cap member. a

At its lower 'endthe rod is provided with a rounded enlargement or head30, received within a flanged substantially semi-spherical socket member31'secured to theautomobile frame-32 by'suitable rivets or screw bolts33, the opening 34 in-saidsocket'member to receive the rod being in theform of a slot elongated in a direction at right angles to the side ofthe hood. I Y

' The hood 35, which 1 in its closed position is engaged against a stopflange 36' secured to the frame, isprovided with a keeper for engagementot'the hook 28 to draw the hood downwardly toward the frame under thepressure of the spring Qhthe keeper, accord.-

ing to the invention, being further adapted through said downwardpressuretoproduce an'inw'ard pressure upon the hood acting between thehood catch barrel and the hood.

of a t-ransversefpin lSJ A transve'rse bar,

44' iss'ecuredbetween the forward ends lOO.

Cir

the side portions 41 and is adapted for engagement by the hood-catchhook 28, and at the lower end of the lever there is hingedly connected,as at 45, a pressure arm 46 adapted to abut the flange 39 at a pointintermediate its ends, and provided at its lower end portion with aforwardly bent rounded contactportion 47, for engagement with the hoodcatch barrel.

In operation the hook 28 is engaged overmodification, in which thekeeper comprises an elongated base plate 18 riveted to the hood,provided at its vertical side edges and near its upper end withforwardly bent ears i949 supporting a transverse pin 50, upon whichthere is pivotally mounted a lever mem ber comprising side arms 5151 anda transerse connecting portion 52. The side arms are rounded at theirlower rearward edges to permit downward swinging movement and areangular at their upper rearward edges to provide movement limitingabutment portions,,a spring 53 coiled about the pin and bearing at itsrespective ends upon the base plate and the connecting portion 52adapted to'normally retain the lever member in its raised position, asindicated in Fig. 3.

A transverse pin 5a is provided between the outer ends of the arms51-51, upon which is hingedly secured the upper end of an angulardepending lever arm 55, curled at its lower end, as at 56, and. engaginga beveled cam portion 57 provided upon the lower end of thebase plate48. A resilient bumper 58, formed of rubber, or the like, is securedupon the forward side of the lever arm adjacent the curled end 56, andis adapted to engage the barrel of the hood catch.

In operation the hook 28 is engaged over the transverse pin 54 of thelever member, causing the arm 55 to move downwardly and outwardly uponthe beveled cam portion 57 and tightly pressing against the hood catchbarrel, thereby pressing the hood inwardly and holding it under pressureagainst looseness and rattling, the hood at the same time being pulleddownwardly by the downward pull of the hood catch.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have illustrated a further modification, in which thekeeper comprises a base plate 59 riveted to the hood, provided atitsverticalside edges with forwardly' bent ears 60-60 supporting atransverse pin 61, upon which there is pivotally mounted a lever membercomprising side arms 6262 and a transverse connecting portion 63, theside arms being rounded at their lower rearward edges to permit downwardswinging movement, and being angular at their upper rearward edges toprovide movement limiting abutment portions. A spring 6% is coiled aboutthe pin 61 and bears at its respective ends upon the base plate 59 andthe connecting portion 63 to normally retain the lever member in itshorizontally disposed raised position, as indicated in Fig. 5. Atransverse pin 65 is provided between the outer ends of the arms 62adapted for engagement by the hook 8 of the hood catch. The lowerportion of the base plate is offset, as at 66, and is provided with aresilient nimper 67, of rubber, or the like, and adapted to engage thebarrel of the hood catch.

In operation the hook 28 is engaged over the transverse pin 65 ofv thelever member drawing the same downwardly and at the same time decreasingthe lateral distance between the hood and said pin thus drawing the hoodcatch barrel inwardly against the bumper 67 The hood is thereby pressedinwardly and held under pressure against looseness and r ttling, thehood at the same time being pulled downwardly by the downward pull ofthe hood catch.

I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodimentsof the invention, but it will be obvious that changes may bemade'therein, within the spiritand scope thereof, as defined 'n theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. In a hood catch, a hold down clamp, a keeperincluding a movable member adapted to be engaged and moved by saidclamp, and contact means hingedly connected thereto adapted upon saidmovement imparted thereto by the clamp to en age outwardly against saidclamp, whereby an inward pressure is exerted on the hood to move thehood inwardly.

2. In a. hood catch, a hold down clamp, a keeper including a movablemember adapted to be engaged and moved by said clamp, contact meanshingedly connected thereto, and means carried on the hood adapted toengage and cause movement of said contact means outwardly against theclamp whereby an inward pressure is exerted on the hood to move the hoodinwardly.

3. In a hood catch,'a. hold down clamp, a keeper including a movablemember adapted to be engaged and moved by said clamp, contact meanshingedly. connected at one end with said movable member and having acontact part at its other end, and fulcrum means carried on the hoodengaging said contact means between said hinged end and said contactpart and adapted to cause movement of said contact part outwardlyagainst the clamp, whereby an inward pressure is exerted on the hoodtomove the hood inwardly.

4. In a hood catch, a hold down clamp, a keeper including a movablemember adapted to be engaged and moved by said clamp, contact meanshingedly connected at one end with said movable member andhaving acontact part at its other end and cam means carried on the hood engagingsaid contact means and adapted to cause movement of said contact partoutwardly against the clamp, whereby an inward pressure is exerted onthe hood to move the hood inwardly.

5. In a hood catch, a hold down clamp, a eeper including a movablemember adapted to be engaged and moved by said clamp, bumper meanscarried thereby, and means carried on the hood adapted to engage andcause movement of said bumper means outwardly against the clamp, wherebyan inward pressure is exerted on the hood to move the hood inwardly.

6. In a latch for a closure, a base to which said latch is secured, alatch guide mounted upon said base, a latch body movable upon saidguide, yielding means tending normally to move it downwardly along saidguide, a member at the upper end of said latch body adapted to engagethe closure and to direct pressure downwardly thereagainst and means,mounted between closure and latch,

'-- adapted to direct pressure inwardly against said closure in responseto the downward pressure exerted by said latch.

7. In a latch for a closure, a base to which said latch is secured, alatch guide mounted upon said base, a latch body movable upon saidguide, yielding means tending normally to move it downwardly along saidguide, a member at the upper end of said latch body adapted to engagethe closure and to direct downwardly thereagainst and means, mountedbetween closure and latch, adapted to direc pressure inwardly againstsaid closure in response to the downward pressure exerted by said latch,said means.

including a member movably mounted upon said closure.

8. In a latch for a closure, a base to which said latch is secured, alatch guide mounted upon sald base, a latch body movable upon 1 saidguide, yielding means tending normally to move it downwardly along saidguide, a member at the upper end of said latch body adapted to engagethe closure and to direct pressure downwardly thereagainst and a movablemember, interposed between closure and latch, adapted to receive thedownward pressure exerted by said latch and to exert, in responsethereto, lateral pressure inwardly against said closure.

9. In a latch for a closure, a base to which said latch is secured, alatch guide mounted upon sald base; a latch body movable upon saidguide, yielding means tending normally to move it downwardly along saidguide, a member at the upper end of said latch body adapted to engagethe closure and to direct pressure downwardly thereagainst and a inresponse to downward movement of the latch bodyand means, interposedbetween closure and latch, for translating the downward pressure exertedby the upper portion of s latch body into inward pressure agair W saidclosure.

11. In a latch for a closure, a latch body antL means for imparting.downward move ment thereto, means at the upper end of said latch bodyfor engaging the closure and for directing pressure downwardlythereagainst in response to downward movement of the latch body andmeans, interposed between closure and latch, for translating thedownwardpressure exertedby the upper portion of said latch body into inwardpressure.

against said closure, including amember movably mounted upon saldclosure.

12. In a latch for a closure, a latch body and means for impartingdownward move-.

ment thereto, means at the upper end of said latch body for engaging theclosure and for directing pressure downwardly thereagainst in responseto downward move ment of the latch body and means, interposed betweenclosure and latch, for translating the downward pressure exerted by theupper portion of said latch body into inward pressure against saidclosure, including a member movably mounted upon said closure and a cam,mounted-upon said closure, adapted to be engaged thereby.

13. In a latch for a closure, a latch body and means for impartingdownward movement thereto, means at the upper end of said latch body forengaging the closure and for directing pressure downwardly thereagainstin response to downward movement of the latch body and means, interposedbetween closure and latch, for translating the downward pressure exertedby the upper portion of said latch body into inward pressure againstsaid closure, including a member movably mounted upon saidclosure, andmeans for directing it outwardly against saidlatch.

14.- In a latch for a closure, a latch member mounted adjacent saidclosure, and means if r imparting movement to the latch member, amovable means mounted upon the closure, and adapted to move bodily, inrelation to said closure, a member associated with said latch adapted toengage said bodily movable means and to impart to ita generally downw rdmovement in relation to said closure, and means for directing a portionof said movable means, other than that engaged by said above mentionedportion of the latch, into thrusting engagement With another portion ofsaid latch.

15. In a latch for a closure, a latch memher mounted adjacent saidclosure, and means for imparting movement .to the latch member, a memberslidably mounted upon-said closure, the latch member being provided witha portion adapted to engage the upper end of said slidable member, thelower end of said slidable member being adapted to engage a lowerportion of said latch.

16. For'use with an automobile hood closure, a latch including a latchmember mounted adjacent said closure, means for guiding said member formovement along a generally upright axis, yielding means tending normallyto impart to said latch member a downward movement along said guidingmeans, a movable member mounted upon said closure and a projection fromsaid latch member adapted to contact said movable member, said movablemember being adapted, when engaged by said projection, to exert a thrustagainst another portion of said latch memher, at a point spacedsubstantially along said latch member from said projecting element.

Signed at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut,this 25th day of July, 1928.

RAYMOND G. MOORE.

